TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, PART SIX: "BROKEN SILENCE" -- Now Live!

[Raphael van Lierop]

TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, PART SIX: “BROKEN SILENCE” now available!

With this release, the TALES DLC expansion pass is now complete!

 

 

Hello Survivors,

Today we’re pleased to announce the release of TALES Part Six, “Broken Silence”. This is the last part of the TALES DLC for Survival Mode, and concludes the 2-year expansion pass. The TALES DLC will continue to be available for purchase in its entirety moving forward. 

“Broken Silence” is the biggest update for TALES and the base Survival game since the launch of the DLC expansion pass campaign in December 2022. The following 18-minute update video goes into great detail about all the new features and content in “Broken Silence”, for both the Paid and Free streams. 

 

https://youtu.be/_8c9NOhYLnU

NOTE: Paid content is only available to people who own the TALES DLC. Free updates are available to anyone who owns THE LONG DARK or THE LONG DARK: SURVIVAL MODE products.

For a full roadmap outlining all the features and content included in the TALES DLC, please visit the full Expansion Pass site. The following major features are included in “Broken Silence”:

 

Safehouse Customization (Free for all players)

 

We’ve added a deep Safehouse Customization system for all players to use. Over 100 locations in the game can now be modified by moving or removing furniture and decorative items, crafting new items using the Furniture Bench and Woodworking Tools, and gathering materials and decorative items from all over Great Bear island and the Far Territory. This is one of the biggest changes to the game the team has ever accomplished, and we are excited to see how players express their creativity and survival ethos through their personalized Safehouse locations. (Includes many new items never before available in the game!)

 

Cougar Redux (TALES DLC owners only)

 

The Cougar hunts and patrols its territory, mainly located in the rocky or deeply forested areas on the fringes of various regions. Enjoy it from afar, or risk your life traversing its territory. The more you encounter it, the more its territory expands, ratcheting up your risk factors for travel and survival. The Cougar is a crafty hunter and is best avoided, but if you dare encroach on its territory you will face a struggle for survival beyond anything you’ve encountered so far. Look for signs, listen, be wise, and be careful!

 

Global Wildlife Refresh (Free for all players)

Establish new patterns for hunting and travel through the world to avoid, or seek out, wildlife. Every wildlife spawn region in the game has been refreshed. Expect to encounter predators like Bears, Wolves, and now Cougars, in new and dangerous places. Find prey animals like Deer, Rabbits, and Ptarmigan have made homes in new locations. Wildlife populations have been rebalanced across the entire game world. Even Timberwolf spawns have been refreshed, so that they don’t always appear where they used to.

 

Instant Camera (TALES DLC owners only)

 

Find the Instant Camera, along with colour, black & white, or sepia film stock. Take photos and add them to your journal Album, where you can notate them. Frame them and hang them in your Safehouse. Become a wilderness photographer.

 

Trader (TALES DLC owners only)

 

Keep your ears open for the emergency radios across the Island to come to life during an aurora. You may hear an unexpected voice from a boat offshore. Sutherland’s been out there since the lights in the sky first appeared, and he has a story to tell. But first, you’ll have to earn his trust. He’ll trade rare items that he scavenges off the coastline in exchange for things he needs from Great Bear Island. (Includes many new items never before available in the game!)

 

Meat Curing Box & Salt (TALES DLC owners only)

Use Woodworking Tools to craft a new Meat Curing box. Gather salt from caves or the coastline, and preserve meat or fish for the long haul.

 

Achievements (TALES DLC & Free for all players)

We’ve added Achievements for TALES, including some unlocks for features that were added to the base Survival game for free, and some that are TALES specific.

 

And More...

Please watch the update video and visit the TALES expansion pass site for more information on what has been included in “Broken Silence”.

 

A Note on Release Platforms

Please note that today’s launch of “Broken Silence” is for Steam, Xbox, and Epic Game Store. The PlayStation version will be updated ASAP this week; we are waiting for Sony to approve it for release. As has already been communicated to players, the Nintendo Switch release of Parts Five and Six have been delayed until the new year.

 

Bugs and Support

Please report any issues you have to our Support Portal. We expect a high volume of reports and the Support Portal will take precedence over our other communication channels, so it is your best way to get help. It will not be possible to respond to every forum post or social media post reporting bugs or issues. We ask for your patience as we work to resolve all outstanding reports during this busy time of year.

 

Winter Holiday

The team will take a much-needed break between December 20th and January 6th. Support channels and general communication will be delayed during this period as a result. We appreciate your patience.

 

Thank you!

Thank you to all those who purchased the TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY DLC. Your support of our efforts helps enable us to continue updating THE LONG DARK. We appreciate all your patience as we worked to deliver the promised roadmap, which took much longer than expected. Please refer to the October Dev Diary for more information on our plans to continue supporting THE LONG DARK next year, including shipping WINTERMUTE Episode Five ASAP.

Enjoy “Broken Silence”, and we’ll see you in the new year.

- The Hinterland Team

 

***

RELEASE NOTES

The Long Dark Updated to version 2.33 (CL 147890)

 

Applies to: THE LONG DARK, THE LONG DARK: SURVIVAL MODE, and TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY DLC.

 

Known Issues

* After completing all three TALES, players will not immediately receive the Rüdiger's Dream achievement. Instead, it will unlock upon reloading their save.

* Only the first loaded Custom Survival save will provide players the option to toggle the Cougar feature on/off. Loading subsequent Custom Survival saves will not provide this option, disabling Cougar by default.

* Player-crafted Workbenches do not yield a Workbench Vice as expected when broken down.

* Rarely, Decoration placement is greatly offset after destroying or breaking down an object beneath where it is placed. (Workaround: Save and Reload.)

* Players using a controller are unable to select a Photograph for player-crafted Framed Photo.

* Players can place decoration objects in inappropriate locations where they can no longer be interacted with.

* Placing or dropping the orange Patterned Wool Mittens causes them to become invisible.

* Players will be unable to Quarter Aurora Cougar Carcasses.

* Players will be unable to break down or destroy the Furniture Workbench.

* Some objects that should have the option to be broken down are missing that functionality. EX: Shrubs which block player from reaching certain locations.

 

Bug Fixes

This Major Update includes fixes for the following issues:

 

CRASHES

• Fixed an issue that caused a hang, after lighting too many Campfires at once.

• Fixed an issue which caused some Xbox players to receive error code '-996' after the disclaimer screen, and subsequently returning them to the home screen.

• Fixed a rare issue that caused a crash when entering or leaving interiors.

• Fixed a rare issue where the player's game crashes and their save is deleted when choosing to Cheat Death.

 

 

GAMEPLAY, UI, CONTROLS

• Fixed an issue that caused Ptarmigans to become stuck in an animation loop.

• Fixed an environment issue in Sundered Pass that resulted in players being able to climb on top of certain structures.

• Fixed an issue where the incorrect location text is displayed when waking up after Cheating Death.

• Fixed an issue in WINTERMUTE Episode Four where the subtitles were incorrectly timed with the audio of the final scene.

• Fixed an issue where items could not be retrieved after being placed on a building ledge in the yard of Blackrock Prison.

• Fixed an issue in Lonely Lighthouse where items left on the stairs could only be retrieved from certain angles.

• Fixed an issue in Desolation Point which caused players to fall through weak ice while standing safely on the damaged boat.

• Fixed an issue in Coastal Highway which caused players to fall through weak ice while standing safely on the damaged boat.

• Fixed an issue where high quality and TALES Mission items could be collected through a closed window in the Mine Headframe Building.

• Fixed an issue that caused a 'Failed to restore the game from a previous save' error when transitioning from an outdoor location.

• Fixed a rare issue with the weather system which could result in corrupt save data.

• Fixed an issue where partially consuming a Venison Pie could result in it dropping into negative weight values.

• Fixed an issue where dropping a partially consumed food item along with unconsumed food items of the same type resulted in it returning to an unconsumed state.

• Fixed an issue with the Major Bruising Affliction which resulted in it having no effect on the Survivor's Condition.

• Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented players from placing a symbol with Spray Paint.

• Fixed an issue that allowed the Survivor to quarter a carcass with no resources left.

• Fixed an issue that displayed the incorrect crafting time of items when the Survivor doesn't have the associated crafting tool in their Backpack.

• Fixed an issue in Ash Canyon where some items could spawn in unreachable areas.

• Fixed an issue in Sundered Pass where a backpack could not be searched.

• Fixed an issue where Beachcombing containers and items could duplicate when exiting and re-entering the Region.

 

 

ART & ENVIRONMENTS

• Fixed an issue where inspecting Polaroids resulted in a visible incorrect watermark on the object.

• Improved the detail on all vehicle engines.

• Fixed an issue with Glimmerfog that resulted in cave entrances appearing clearly through the fog at any distance.

• Fixed an issue in Keeper's Pass that caused incorrect lighting on the mouth of a short rock tunnel.

• Fixed multiple issues in Forsaken Airfield where Cattails were incorrectly located.

• Fixed an issue in Forsaken Airfield where a fence was not correctly placed on the ground.

• Fixed an issue in Sundered Pass where a deer carcass was not correctly placed on the ground.

• Fixed an issue in Zone of Contamination with a missing square piece of geometry on the ground.

• Fixed an issue in Zone of Contamination where a sheet of ice was not correctly placed on the ground.

• Fixed an issue in Bleak Inlet where a post incorrectly intersected a shelter roof.

• Fixed multiple issues in Bleak Inlet with unintentional pieces of jagged terrain.

• Fixed multiple issues in the transition cave from Bleak Inlet to Forlorn Muskeg with rocks not correctly placed on the ground.

• Fixed an issue where the Wool Toque would incorrectly intersect with the Aviator Cap when worn together.

• Fixed an issue in Sundered Pass where snowdrifts were not correctly connected to wooden structures.

• Fixed an issue with T-Shirt models that caused the interior to intersect with the exterior.

• Fixed an issue in the Pleasant Valley Farmhouse that caused a Sewing Kit to disappear from view at different angles.

• Fixed an issue in the Steam Tunnels where a portion of pipe was disconnected and floating.

• Fixed an issue in Mountain Town where snow covered rocks were not correctly displaying snow.

• Fixed an issue where global lighting was not correctly applying to the Survivor's hands.

• Fixed an issue in Bleak Inlet where players could incorrectly see the exposed back face of a cliff.

• Fixed an issue in Forsaken Airfield where players could incorrectly see the exposed back face of a snowdrift.

• Fixed an issue in Mystery Lake where players could incorrectly see the exposed back face of a cliff.

• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in a corner of the Community Hall in WINTERMUTE Episode Three.

• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on top of the truck in Keeper's Pass.

• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in Ash Canyon within a ruined building at Miner's Folly.

• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck inside a helicopter in Forsaken Airfield.

• Fixed an issue where players could become stuck between rocks in Coastal Highway.

• Fixed an issue in Sundered Pass where players could get stuck in terrain near the bridge to the Weather Station.

• Fixed an issue in Mountain Town where players could get stuck in terrain in the Paradise Meadows Farmhouse.

• Fixed an issue in Bleak Inlet where players could get stuck in terrain on the Cannery Workshop staircase.

• Fixed an issue in Forsaken Airfield where players could get stuck on a rocky outcropping.

• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck when crouching near the truck in the Maintenance Yard.

• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck behind stalagmites in the transition cave between Hushed River Valley and Mountain Town.

• Fixed an issue in Mountain Town where players could get stuck near the waterfall outside of town.

 

ANIMATION

• Fixed an issue that resulted in the wrong animation playing when harvesting a wolf carcass with the Improvised Knife.

 

 

PLATFORM-SPECIFIC

• Fixed an issue that caused a black screen on launch for players on the Epic Games Store.

• [EGS] Fixed an issue that caused a black screen on launch for players on the Epic Games Store.

• [PS4/Switch] Fixed memory leak when loading into a new level.

• [PS4/Switch] Reduced memory usage for falling snow effect.

• [PS4/Switch] Reduced memory usage for post fx by reusing render textures between passes.

 

 

### END OF UPDATE ANNOUNCEMENT ###

[Pyroxene]

This looks great!!

[Renn]

Oh my gosh, I just saw the release vid pop up on youtube and I thought it was an accident! What an amazing surprise, not only the release but also the new additions that we hadn't heard about yet! Great work as always ❤️

[Pyroxene]

Oh, bummer that PS4 won't be updated right away...

[thekillergreece]

Nooo, I lost the 5th Dec bet. 😔

EDIT 1: Now, what happens to The Hunted part 3?
EDIT 2: Cougar looks a lot better than before. Good stuff!

Edited December 2, 2024 by thekillergreece

[Leeanda]

Thank you all so much..it looks amazing 💗💗. Curing meat is a nice surprise too.

Just one tiny thing.....no cougar on pilgrim?  I was going to send Astrid off with a good fight lol...

Can't wait to update in the morning and get stuck in..

Love it...thank you for this amazing dlc,it's been way beyond what I ever expected 

[Cr41g]

salt box and meat curing....what a surprise...THANK YOU

Edited December 2, 2024 by Cr41g

[SafeAgain]

YEEEESSSS THANK YOU SO MUCH HINTERLANDDD

THIS ALL LOOKS INCREDIBLE OHMYGOSH it's so much better than i expected it would be!!!!!!!!

The trader is EXACTLY what i was hoping it would be, and so is the cougar!! I'm so excited :DDDDDDDD

[Karl Grylls]

Yeeeaas, i knew it would be a surprise release Now i will read it and watch the video. But i will wait playing it until the first hotfixes are out^^

Edited December 2, 2024 by Karl Grylls

[SuperStriker16]

This is the best Long Dark update I’ve ever seen! As a guy who previously was against the first cougar implementation like many others, I believe the newer implementation is perfect, now the cougar wanders the world and can be killed without requiring you to get seriously injured. Salt curing meat was an unexpected but very welcome addition. The trader is what I’m most excited for, as it adds permanently renewable ammunition as well as various new tools and resources such as the 10 kg bag of salt, pemmican jerky, a survival knife, new clothes recipes like the wolf skin hat, and those are just a few things that were shown in the trailer. The safehouse customization is implemented perfectly, and the camera is a great way to visually log your survival run. This is the first update that has no issues that I can see. Now to go start a trading only run in coastal highway!

[SuperStriker16]

I wonder if the trader gets these new items from regions further along the coast then we can’t currently explore, maybe we can find these items ourselves if/when new coastal regions are added to survival like perseverance mills.

Edited December 2, 2024 by SuperStriker16
Spelling error

[Allasse]

Thank you! 👍❤️

[RaukGorth]

Amazing

[SuperStriker16]

Does anyone know when exactly this update will be dropped? I know they said it’s releasing today, but when? As of right now, 3:15 pm EST, it’s not currently out for me on Xbox. I’m super hyped and looking forward to buying bullets and getting mauled by a cougar.

[Karl Grylls]

1 minute ago, SuperStriker16 said:

Does anyone know when exactly this update will be dropped? I know they said it’s releasing today, but when? As of right now, 3:15 pm EST, it’s not currently out for me on Xbox. I’m super hyped and looking forward to buying bullets and getting mauled by a cougar.

I'm on Steam and already downloaded it

[SafeAgain]

Just now, SuperStriker16 said:

Does anyone know when exactly this update will be dropped? I know they said it’s releasing today, but when? As of right now, 3:15 pm EST, it’s not currently out for me on Xbox. I’m super hyped and looking forward to buying bullets and getting mauled by a cougar.

i am currently downloading the patch on steam, on pc. It should be available pretty soon if not currently on consoles

[I_eat_only_wolf_meat]

Wow.  Just nominated you all for "labor of Love" on Steam.

[Raphael van Lierop]

2 minutes ago, SuperStriker16 said:

Does anyone know when exactly this update will be dropped? I know they said it’s releasing today, but when? As of right now, 3:15 pm EST, it’s not currently out for me on Xbox. I’m super hyped and looking forward to buying bullets and getting mauled by a cougar.

Should be live on Xbox, but depending on where you are in the world it can sometimes take a few hours for the update to propagate to you. You can try restarting your Xbox just in case? The update might be waiting for you...

[Jarulf]

This looks like an absolutely fantastic update. Thank you Hinterland.

Like others have mentioned, curing meat was a very welcome surprise, but everything looks great.

I am a bit nervous about that big cat though.

Edited December 2, 2024 by Jarulf

[SuperStriker16]

8 minutes ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

Should be live on Xbox, but depending on where you are in the world it can sometimes take a few hours for the update to propagate to you. You can try restarting your Xbox just in case? The update might be waiting for you...

Just did, the update appeared immediately, thanks.

[CursedLight]

This is seriously amazing thanks Hinterland!

I'm especially excited with the curing meat with salt mechanic; have you considered adding it for everyone?
I always thought that the level 5 cooking bonus was a bit too OP and immersion-breaking and that there should be some system to cure meat and thus preserve it for some time but since it's DLC-only, i guess the bonus still exists?

Obviously i'd love for the bonus to not exist but whether or not it is, it's already amazing enough that this new mechanic exists in the first place, thanks!

[Arcx]

The update looks amazing! Can't wait to dive into it - especially the trader will be my thing  One downside, though: Hunted part 3 isn't mentioned at all - and to make it worse - it vanished from https://www.thelongdark.com/expansion/ . Not sure if it will be released in the future, but quietly deleting something without mentioning it at all isn't what I expected from Hinterland 😥

Edited December 2, 2024 by Arcx

[dave1122]

As always, thank you guys for all the quality work you do.  I know what Im doing tonight!

[ManicManiac]

Thank you, Hinterland!
  

2 hours ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

Enjoy it from afar, or risk your life traversing its territory. The more you encounter it, the more its territory expands, ratcheting up your risk factors for travel and survival. The Cougar is a crafty hunter and is best avoided, but if you dare encroach on its territory you will face a struggle for survival beyond anything you’ve encountered so far. Look for signs, listen, be wise, and be careful!

2 hours ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

Keep your ears open for the emergency radios across the Island to come to life during an aurora. You may hear an unexpected voice from a boat offshore. Sutherland’s been out there since the lights in the sky first appeared, and he has a story to tell. But first, you’ll have to earn his trust.

2 hours ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

Every wildlife spawn region in the game has been refreshed. Expect to encounter predators like Bears, Wolves, and now Cougars, in new and dangerous places. Find prey animals like Deer, Rabbits, and Ptarmigan have made homes in new locations. Wildlife populations have been rebalanced across the entire game world.

2 hours ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

Take photos and add them to your journal Album, where you can notate them. Frame them and hang them in your Safehouse. Become a wilderness photographer.

2 hours ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

Use Woodworking Tools to craft a new Meat Curing box. Gather salt from caves or the coastline, and preserve meat or fish for the long haul.

I love everything about this.  Even a few unexpected surprises!
Thanks again, it all looks to be a fantastic update!

Edited December 2, 2024 by ManicManiac

[vash_the_stampede_1997]

you know it's funny, a while back I made a few ideas for build able items and at first I was like "I'm not expecting them to do this, it's probably just going to be moving furniture around and cleaning cleaning floor" which don't get me wrong would've been just peachy, I would've been just fine with moving stuff around. 

When I say that the photo of trapper's homestead before and after made my jaw drop. I mean my jaw fell down and hit the bottom of my neck. 

Hinterland, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, I mean that. This has exceeded what I wanted and more. I legit feel like a kid unwrapping Christmas presents and you Raphael are santa. 

The trader, safehouse customization, cougar 2.0, and meat curing is all amazing and i cannot wait to just blindly jump in.  

There is a few questions I have, but they're not really important ones. 

1) who voiced the trader? I swear to god I was listening to the update video thinking "is that John DiMaggio? Marcus your suppose to be in the gears of war, what are you doing on this boat?" I'd like to know what voice acting direction he took. Can't wait to hear more of him. 

2) i wanna hear about what your favorite part of creating this next update was, and if you had a part that a little bit difficult having to create. 

3) when creating the safehouse customization, did you ever have any inspiration for the new rustic designs that were implemented? Did you have a favorite rustic furniture? 

I'm still waiting for my game to update, Xbox says it'll take an hour which technically means it'll take 4 hours, I don't care crap Internet can't keep my happiness down. 

Happy holidays hinterland and love and Peace